Rockable and rotatable amusement device for children



G. M. RIGBY April 30, 1968 ROCKABLE AND ROTATABLE AMUSEMENT DEVICE FOR CHILDREN Filed June 1, 1965 BY 6 A771 (75M United States Patent 3,389,731 ROCKABLE AND RQTATABLE AMUSEP-viEiJT DEVIQE FOR CHILDREN Gloria M. Rigby, 323 Sutherland Road, Trenton, NJ. @8618 Filed June 1, 1965, Ser. No. illfiiil 6 Claims. (Cl. 272-33) A bowl-shaped article in which a child sits, and which a child may rock or turn through the provision of handholds. A frusto-conical flange on the device extends downwardly outwardly from the bowl-shaped body to serve as a bumper limiting the rocking motion. The flange takes up the shock of impact in the plane of its width. The flange and body are detachably connected, and are so shaped as to facilitate separate nesting of a. quantity of the flanges and bodies to reduce shipping and storage space.

This invention relates generally to amusement devices. More particularly, the invention has reference to a device of this nature in which a small child can seat himself, and gain amusement by rocking back and forth, and also by causing the device to turn while it is rocked, if he so desires.

By way of background, it may be noted that toys of this general type are already known. We do not, accordingly, propose to claim as our invention the broad, overall concept of a howl-like toy in which a child may seat himself and rock back and forth. Rather, it has been our observation that toys of this type as heretofore designed have possessed certain characteristics that are somewhat undesirable, and which we propose to eliminate through the provision of a generally improved device of this type.

Desira-bly, a toy of this type should have means for limiting the device against tilting or rocking motion beyond a predetermined, safe angle from the vertical, in order to insure against the device being overturned completely with possible injury to the child. While certain of the prior devices have had this characteristic, they have not been provided with a rocking-motion-limiting means that is at one time both simply designed while yet strong, rugged, and fully proof against permitting accidential overturning of the device.

With further reference to the limiting means discussed above, in the devices of the prior art of which we have knowledge, there has been no suggestion of disposing said limiting means at an angle from the vertical such as to result in the force of any impact, resulting from said means striking the floor, being received primarily in the plane of said means when seen in crosssection. By designing the means for limiting rocking motion in this way, we propose to impart maximum strength and resistance to breakage to said means, while still permitting its manufacture from relatively light, inexpensive material.

In devices of this type previously conceived, little consideration has been given to the problems of manufacture, shipment, and storage of the article. A device of this type is of substantial size, since it is necessarily large enough to accommodate a child. Therefore, it becomes even more important to consider the amount of space that would ordinarily be required by a device of such size, while it is being shipped, warehoused, or is on the floor or shelf of a retail establishment awaiting sale.

To this end, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toy of the character stated that is specially designed, in a novel manner, to accomplish the following:

First, the simplification of molding or pressing the component parts of the device during manufacture;

Second, demountability of the basic parts, whereby to permit shipment in a knocked-down arrangement;

Third, shaping of the parts to permit nesting thereof while in transit or in storage; and

Fourth, facility in assembly of the device by the ultimate purchaser.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device as stated which, though possessing the several desirable characteristics noted above, will nevertheless be capable of manufacture at minimum cost.

Summarized briefly, the invention comprises three basic components. These are a bowl-like body in which the child is seated, a weight designed to be mounted in the bottom of the body so as to cause it to normally return to the vertical whenever it is not under positive impetus tending to rock the same, and a protective flange or skirt detachably connected to and extending downwardly outwardly from the circumference of the body. In accordance with the invention, the body is so designed as to permit full nesting or telescoping of a multiplicity of the bodies, while in transit, storage, or awaiting sale. The protective flange, in turn, is similarly designed to permit full nesting thereof in similar circumstances. The weight, further, is of generally flattened formation, so as to permit a multiplicity of the weights to be stacked compactly. The body and flange, in a typical embodiment, are pressed from steel or other metal having the desired characteristics of strength and resistance to deformation. However, the device is so designed as to permit these components to be molded or otherwise fashioned from plastic material if desired.

The body and protective skirt are not only designed for nesting, but also, are so shaped that forces transmitted to the same during use of the device are taken up or absorbed in such a way as to cause the lines of force to travel in paths that are particularly designed to prevent deformation or other damage to the parts of the device, despite its relative lightness and inexpensive construction.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an amusement device formed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of said device taken substantially on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the same partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section;

PEG. 3 is an enlarged, detail, fragmentary sectional view on the same cutting plane as FIG. 2, showing one type of connecting means employed by us for attaching the protective skirt to the body;

FIG. 4 is a still further enlarged, fragmentary, detail sectional view on the same cutting plane as FIG. 2, showing the means for connecting the weight to the bottom part of the body;

FIG. 5 is a view like FIG. 3 showing a modified connection between the flange and body;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the connecting means shown in FIG. 5, on the same scale as FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view, on a scale reduced below that of FIG. 2, showing a plurality of the bodies nested for shipment or storage;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view on the same scale as FIG. 7, showing a plurality of the protective flanges 0r skirts in nested relationship; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the device, on the same scale as FIG. 2, as it appears when in use, rocked to the maximum extent permitted by the protective flange.

Referring to the drawing in detail, in the form of the invention shown in FIGS. L4, our amusement device has been generally designated 10, and includes a bowl-like body 12 and protective flange or skirt 14. The body and skirt can, as in the illustrated example, be pressed or otherwise formed from metal of suitable strength and gauge. However, it will be understood that these components could be formed of a plastic material, possibly of a fiber-reinforced type, should the manufacturer so desire.

In any event, considering first the particular construction of the body 12, this includes a spherically rounded bottom portion 16. Referring to FIG. 7, the center about which the bottom portion 16 is curved lies in a plane AB, with the bottom portion terminating in a plane CD disposed approximately midway between plane AB and the lowermost point of the bottom portion, considering the same when in its normal rest position shown in FIG. 2.

At plane CD, that is, at the top of the rounded bottom portion 16, said bottom portion merges into a frusto-conical intermediate portion 18 of the body. The intermediate portion 18 extends from plane CD upwardly to plane AB. When viewed in vertical section as in FIG. 2, intermediate portion 18 is inclined at an angle of approximately from the vertical. The inclination of intermediate portion 18, though desirably held to a minimum, is nevertheless such as to permit full nesting of a plurality of the bodies 12, in the manner shown in FIG. 7.

At its upper edge, that is, at plane AB, intermediate portion 13 merges into a peripheral, narrow, continuous, flat shoulder 20 extending outwardly from the top edge of intermediate portion 18, in the plane AB. At its outside edge, shoulder 20 merges into a top portion 22 of the body. This is of frusto-conical formation, and may be inclined at an angle from the vertical corresponding to the angle of inclination of the intermediate portion 18.

The top portion 22 is formed, throughout the circumference of the body 12, with uniformly, angularly spaced openings 24 defining hand holes for the child using the device. The openings can be of circular shape, as shown, alternatively, they could be elliptical, rectangular, triangular, or any other suitable shape.

At its top edge, the top portion 22 is formed with a continuous, circumferential lip 22 extending outwardly downwardly from the top portion so as to provide a reinforcing bead thereon while at the same time eliminating the danger of a sharp edge against which the child may strike his head while using the toy.

In the body, we provide a Weight 28. This is of circular form, having a bottom surface that is rounded correspondingly to the curvature of the bottom portion 16, thus to be in face to face contact with the bottom portion as shown in FIG. 2. The weight 28 can be formed of any suitable material, including wood, metal, or the like, and in diameter is preferably slightly more than half the diameter of the bottom portion 16. The top surface of the weight is flat, and is parallel with the plane CD in the illustrated embodiment. Weight 28 is centered in the body portion 16, and to facilitate the centering of the weight during assembly of the device, we provide a central indentation-30 (FIG 4) in the bottom surface of the weight, mating with an upwardly pressed boss 32 centrally formed in the bottom portion 16.

Openings 34, 36 are formed in the weight and bottom portion 16, centrally thereof, and are in registration to receive a connecting bolt 38, the head of which is recessed in the upwardly pressed boss 38. Bolt 38 is threadedly engaged with a nut 40 seated in a nut recess 42 shaped correspondingly to the nut to prevent rotation thereof. In this way, it will be seen that the ultimate purchaser of the device can quickly assemble the weight and body, and it will further be noted that when the parts are assembled, the nut 40 is flush with the top surface of the weight, so as to insure against the presence of any projection which might hurt or be uncomfortable to the child.

The protective flange 14 is of shallowly frusto-conical form, as shown at 44, and at its upper, smaller-diameter edge is formed with a flat, inwardly directed lip 46. The inner diameter of the lip is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the upper end of the intermediate portion 18, thus to permit the body 12 to be received in the center opening 47 of the flange or skirt 14. Lip 46, in these circumstances, is in flat, face to face contact with the underside of the shoulder 20, throughout the circumference of the device, and in this relationship of the parts smoothwalled openings 48 of the lip, extending through bosses 59 of said lip, register with correspondingly smoothwalled openings 52 formed in shoulder 20.

The registered openings 52, 48 are uniformly, angularly spaced about the shoulder and lip 46, respectively, being spaced apart 45 in the illustrated example. The number of the openings, however, is not critical, it being mainly important that there be enough to provide a strong connection of the flange to the body, through the provision of bolts 54 engaged with nuts 56 in the registered openings.

Here again, the adaptability of the design to be shipped in a knock-down form, for quick and easy assembly by the ultimate purchaser, will be readily perceived. One need merely position the body 12 in the protective skirt, register the openings of the skirt and body with one another, and connect the two together by means of the bolts and nuts 54, 56 respectively.

An alternative means for connecting the body and flange is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In this form of the invention, the flange or skirt 14a is connected to the body 12a by means of screws 54a passing through keyhole slots 52a of the body, and engaging in threaded openings 48a of the skirt.

The arrangement shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has an advantage for the ultimate purchaser, in that the screws can be threaded into openings 48:: before purchase. Thereafter, the purchaser need only position the heads of the screws through the large ends of the keyhole slots 52a, relatively rotate the body and skirt to locate the screw heads at the small ends of the keyhole slots, and then turn the screws home.

This arrangement also facilitates disassembly of the device, to facilitate its being put away when not in use by the child.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the skirt is formed with a continuous inwardly pressed strengthening rib 58. It is important to note, in this regard, that the rib 58 is so shaped as to interfere to a minimum degree with nesting of the skirts in the manner shown in FIG. 8.

With respect to the nesting characteristics of the skirt and body, the particular form of these components, as touched upon previously in this application, is designed to assure full nesting of like parts, one within another, during shipment or storage. This is a very important characteristic of the invention, since a device of this type tends to be rather large, and can represent a bulk such as to make it exceedingly expensive to ship or store While awaiting sale. In accordance with our invention, the parts are shaped so as to allow nesting, and accordingly, a relatively small amount of space is occupied by a substantial number of the devices, up to the point of sale. Even in a retail establishment, it is not necessary that the devices be individually packaged, and it is entirely possible that on the sales floor the bodies and flanges can be separately stacked in the manner shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Thereafter, on purchase, a body 12, a flange 14, and a weight 28 are removed from their respective stacks, and turned over to the purchaser. In this way, a serious problem inherent in the prior art devices of the type incorporating guard flanges, is eliminated.

In use, the child seats himself in the device, and can grasp the top portion wherever he may so desire, through the medium of the handhold openings 24. Then, the child can rock back and forth, and can also cause the device to turn about while it is being so rocked.

The protective flange 14 will, as shown in FIG. 9, strike the floor if the child rocks too far, thus limiting the rocking motion beyond a safe angle of inclination from the vertical. The flange 14, in this connection, extends in the area from plane AB to plane CD, and when viewed in vertical section at any point in its circumference (as for example in the cutting plane of line 2-2) has an-inclination of 45 from the vertical. This angle can be varied slightly, but it preferably maintained rather closely, since it not only limits the tilting of the body beyond a predetermined safe angle shown in FIG. 9, but also, causes the impact taken by the skirt to be transmitted upwardly along lines normal to the thickness of the skirt material. Further, the arrangement whereby the skirt is secured to the body at the underside of shoulder 20, also aids in taking up or absorbing easily the force resulting from striking of the bottom edge of the skirt against the floor surface. Reference is made to the provision of the flat, inwardly directed lip of the skirt, bearing against the underside of a corresopndingly flat shoulder. In this way, the force of impact is transmitted to the flat shoulder 20, where said shoulder merges into the top portion 22 at almost a right angle to said top portion (see FIGS. 3 and 5). This rightangular, integral joint between the shoulder and top portion takes the force of impact, and obviously, provides a very strong construction, that offers maximum resistance to said force. Active, small children tend to use toys roughly, and a construction such as illustrated and described is novelly and particularly designed to take rough usage with minimum damage to the component parts of the device, despite their simple form and relatively low individual cost.

With further reference to the operational characteristics of the device, it will be noted from the drawing that when the flange 14 strikes a flat supporting surface S responsive to rocking of the device to its maximum extent, the flange will be disposed, viewing the same in vertical, diametrical cross-section at the point of its engagement with the supporting surface, at an angle X to said surface that is greater than 45. As a result, the force of the impact is transmitted to the flange in a direction the main component of which extends across the width of the flange (rather than across its thickness) to the strong, right-angular juncture of the shoulder 20 and top portion 22.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any changes in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An amusement device of the type to be rocked, and if desired rotated while so rocked, by a child seated therein, comprising a bowl-like body including a bottom portion shaped to permit rocking and rotation of the body on a supporting surface; and a circumferential flange extending downwardly and outwardly from the body so as to constitute a bumper striking said surface when the body is rocked, thus to limit the body against rockable motion beyond a predetermined, safe angle from the vertical, said flange having a main frusto-conical portion, the upper, smaller diameter end of which includes a generally flat lip means underlying and fixedly secured to the shoulder in flatwise relation thereto, said body including an upstanding, generally cylindrical top portion the lower end of which is rigidly joined with said shoulder substantially at right angles to the shoulder, said frustoconical portion of the flange extending to, and merging into said lip means at the joint between the top portion and shoulder of the body, whereby the force of impact of the flange against the supporting surface will be transmitted across the width of the flange to said joint.

2. An amusement device as in claim 1 wherein said flange is disposed, when viewed in vertical cross-section diametrically thereof at its point of contact with said surface, at an angle to the surface that is greater than 45 thus to transmit said force of impact in a direction having a greater component across the width of the flange than across the thickness thereof.

3. A knock-down amusement device of the type to be rocked, and if desired rotated while so rocked, by a child seated therein, comprising: a bowl-like body including a bottom portion shaped to permit rocking and rotation of the body on a supporting surface, said body having a plurality of openings spaced circumferentially thereof; a circumferential flange on the body extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom so as to constitute a bumper striking said surface when the body is rocked, thus to limit the body against rockable motion beyond a predetermined, safe angle from the vertical, said flange including a plurality of openings in registration with the openings of the body; and fastening means removably engaged in the registered openings and detachably, fixedly joining the body and flange, said body having a downwardly facing circumferential shoulder intermediate its ends within which the first named openings are formed, said flange including an annular lip at its upper end lying in flatwise relation to the shoulder and formed with the second named openings.

4. A nesting type, knock-down amusement device in which a child may seat himself to rock back and forth and, if he desires, rotate while rocking, comprising:

(a) a bowl-like body including (1) a rounded, supporting-surface-engaging bottom portion,

(2) a flared intermediate portion joined to the bottom portion in a plane below the center about which the bottom portion is curved, and

(3) a flared top portion joined to said intermediate portion by a flat circumferential shoulder, said body being nestable with other bodies of like form with the bottom, intermediate, and top portions of the nested bodies in substantially full face-to-face contact; and

(b) a flange removably, fixedly joined to the body at said shoulder thereof, said flange being of flared form for nesting of a multiplicity of the flanges substantially in face-to-face contact when the flanges are separated from the body.

5. An amusement device as in claim 4 wherein said intermediate and top portions of the body are of Substantially inverted frusto-conical form.

6. An amusement device as in claim 5 wherein said flange is substantially of a frusto-conical form.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,804,123 8/1957 Kling 27233 2,878,858 3/1959 Winchester 27233 2,988,358 6/1961 Mills 27228 2,999,688 9/ 1961 Gabrielson 27233 3,141,669 7/1964 Chul 27233 FOREIGN PATENTS 568,347 12/ 1923 France.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner. 

